In Silico Repurposing of FDA Drugs for DJ-1-Linked Parkinson’s Disease

In this study, we aimed to present a novel repurposing strategy using FDA-approved anti-inflammatory drugs from Drug Bank as plausible therapeutics against the abnormal Parkinson’s DJ-1 gene. One such function of DJ-1, also known as the PARK7 gene, is neuroprotection, which protects cells against oxidative stress and inflammation. We identified compounds that potentially inhibit the PD-related mutant DJ-1 (2R1T) protein. We discovered effective inhibitors against the mutant DJ-1 gene (2R1T): Oxatomide and Levocabastine, using a comprehensive molecular docking analysis. Our data suggest that administering Oxatomide and Levocabastine may ameliorate the progression in wild-type human neural cells but reduce their impact on mutant DJ-1-induced PD pathogenesis. This repurposing approach could delineate a pathway for developing future medications and personalized therapy options to investigate existing anti-inflammatory drugs currently on the market and determine whether they can be developed targeting specific genetic factors associated with neurodegenerative diseases.